


navy shining gold

by midnightsweets



Series: HEVN's Daily Lives! [22]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Casual Use of History, DIFFERENT NAMED CHARACTERS, Gen, Hakyeon is Hapi, Inguk is Amun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:26:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25239199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightsweets/pseuds/midnightsweets
Summary: Thonis-Heraklion was Ancient Egypt's trade gateway yet it had only become a passing mention on ancient historians' notes.
Series: HEVN's Daily Lives! [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1373329
Kudos: 1





	navy shining gold

**Author's Note:**

> title comes from vixx's navy & shining gold  
> different names  
> cha hakyeon - sunmi/hain

_ 4th Century BCE, Port City of Thonis-Herakleion... _

Ain observed as his precious cargo was carefully handled by the servants of the merchants he traded with when he was in this part of the River Nile.

“Lord Ain, welcome back to Thonis,” one of the merchants came and bowed to Ain. He bowed back, a shallower one compared to the merchant’s. He said his thanks and descended from the ship.

“Will you be visiting the Temple of Amun before business, my lord?”

“Yes, it has been some time since I have been to Thonis and must pay respects to the Lord of the Sun.”

“As you say, my lord. Your usual chateau has been cleaned out and servants are awaiting your orders there.”

“You have always been accommodating of me,” Lord Ain warmly quips.

The merchant laughs heartily and answers with “only the best for our most prolific trader, of course.”

Ain chuckles and thanks the merchant who merely waves it away, “Lord Ain has always had our best interest. Therefore, us merchant lords will continue to have Lord Ain’s best interests.”

“As you say,” Ain softly says. The merchant lord then gaily enthuses Ain about the happenings the past few months since Ain's last visit.

Ain listens quietly, interjecting at appropriate moments while asking for clarification on some topics that he finds particularly interesting while they journey to the center of the port city. The River Nile laps quietly at the shores and the passages built by the Egyptians who call Thonis their home. Ain has missed the bustle of the port city as well as the quiet susurrations of the river slowly claiming parts of the city.

The two part ways as Ain gets nearer to the beautiful temple of Ancient Egypt’s great Sun God with the merchant lord offering one last bow and Ain smiling in return.

Ain feels the presence of one of his shadows, air slightly displaced near his left arm.

“Why you insist on trading with this sinking port city, I’ll never know,” the disembodied voice of his sister hisses softly.

Ain hums. Many of his so-called associates do wonder why he kept his trade agreement with the merchants in Thonis when the much more prosperous port of Alexandria existed.

Ain scoffs at the thought. Thonis-Herakleion may be sinking slowly but he prefers the tried and tested agreements he has of the good-natured merchants here in Thonis. Not to mention, the Temple of Amun needed his presence every once and awhile.

There was a rumor once—that Ain was the physical embodiment of the God Amun—that he had dispelled quietly. Rumors, albeit harmless more often than not, had wings of their own. Much like how Anubis would rather play “Cheat the Scales of Ma'at” than claim Ain was (is) the Sun God.

“Let’s face it, little sister. Thonis-Herakleion  **is** a little bit better than Alexandria.”

His little sister scoffs at that, the eerie shadow projecting her voice with a chilling echo. 

“You just don’t want to admit you love Thonis-Herakleion because they built that eyesore of a temple.”

Ain laughs as he steps into said temple. He can see some of the priests and priestesses that know who he is bow subtly.

He does whisper to his little sister, “The temple is not an eyesore. It is something sacred now that people come to worship Amun here. The pharaohs have journeyed far to pay respect to the Sun God and have them be officiated here.”

He hears his little sister softly snort but otherwise remained silent as they had entered the inner sanctum where the large statues of the gods Amun and Hapi with two other statues of a pharaoh and his queen standing on both sides stood tall.

“Look, they even have your likeness here.”

Hain huffs at that, not taking the bait.

“You could have come along, Hain.”

“I would really rather not.”

“Hm.”

Ain and Hain bow down in front of the statue with the former putting down offerings. The siblings share a brief moment of silence before the head priest approaches them.

“Lord Ain.”

The head priest bows, deeper and worshipful than the one the merchant lord offered Ain. He bows to Hain, as well, despite not seeing where she stood.

“Lady Hain.”

Ain smiles and places his hand on top of the head priest’s head.

“Blessings of Amun be upon you.”

The head priests quietly mumbles his reply.

“May the Nile offer you bountiful crops,” Hain softly says, Ain’s shadow flickering into her form for a brief second that the head priest caught.

“I am but a humble servant of the gods,” the head priest says as he straightens up.

Ain’s smile was intact as the priest looked to him with the gaze of one who looks upon divinity.

“Thank you,” Ain softly says.

“Will you be staying for long, my lord?”

Ain shakes his head, “My ship will depart at dawn, in four days’ time.”

The head priest bows, “Then I hope that our lord’s stay will be pleasant.”

“My thanks.”

Ain and his sister-shadow leave the temple after checking on the temple’s inhabitants.

“Why not tell them?”

Ain hums, “The march of time will not leave Thonis-Herakleion unscathed. It may be forgotten for centuries to come. What could anyone do amidst the demands of the Mistress Nile, hm?”

Hain scoffs at that, “Just say you don’t want the people to panic and for Thonis-Herakleion to flourish for some more odd years.”

“That too.”

“Don’t be vague, brother.”

Ain laughs.

“A god is vague, little sister. What am I, in the face of all this, but a god?”

Hain quiets at that and Ain lets her be. He feels his shadow dissipate and his little sister’s presence disappear as he enters the chateau he always stays in.

‘ _ One day, this little chateau may only be found under the bed of the River Nile. _ ’

Underneath his feet, Ain could feel the slow sinking of the foundations of the port city.

* * *

_ 1997 - Abu Qir Bay, The Mediterranean Sea; 12 ft above Thonis-Herakleion _

Inguk surveys the far horizon on the boat he’s on. He sees tiny specks of light glinting off of metal and hears the distant shouts of the crew discovering the sunken Thonis-Herakleion.

He is too far to be seen by the naked eye but he knows the people on the far side of where Thonis-Heraklion once stood would not see him for they were too preoccupied with the discovery of a lifetime.

He feels someone bump into his left side. He looks to see Sunmi, black hair tied neatly into a French braid and sunhat shielding her unburnt face from the harsh glares of the sun.

“Regrets?”

Inguk laughs and shakes his head.

“Thonis-Herakleion flourished and the people were made known of their city’s slow demise,” Inguk pauses, remembering the bright streets of Thonis over 4,000 years ago, “the people never forsook me and had scattered, still worshipping Amun.”

Sunmi looks at him, an unreadable expression on her face, “If you say so, older brother.”

Inguk merely huffs, an enigmatic soft smile on his face.

"You never did visit Herakles' Temple, brother," Sunmi remarks.

"I would rather not visit something made by Ptolemy III, thank you very much."

Sunmi laughs at that. Inguk had a severe dislike of the Ptolemaic Dynasty that she doesn't—wouldn't want—to understand.

Inguk scoffs and continues observing the numerous people all rejoicing at discovering an ancient port city that was barely a footnote in some ancient historian's entry.

**Author's Note:**

> the youtube channel: geographics made me do this


End file.
